Electrical connector for suspension apparatus



Aug. 30, 1966 J, w s L 3,270,124

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR SUSPENSION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 4, 1965//,IIIIIIIII IIIII" INVENTOR. JAMES A. AWLS By JOHN J. T4 LOR A TTORNE YUnited States Patent 3,270,124 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR SUSPENSIONAPPARATUS James A. Rawls, Richmond, Va., and John J. Taylor, Medina,Ohio, 'assignors to The Ohio Brass Company,

Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser.No. 423,152 6 Claims. (Cl. 174-144) This invention relates to suspensionapparatus for line conductors and particularly to means for suppressingor preventing corona and electromagnetic wave generation resulting fromvariable contacts in suspension apparatus.

A general object of the invention is to improve electroconductiveconnections between separate parts of hardware, suspension apparatus,and the like, for power line conductors.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a wire clip whichfunctions as a low resistance electrically conductive connector in shuntwith the mechanical connectors of line hardware.

In suspension apparatus for electrical transmission and distributionlines, various elements of hardware, pins, links, clevises, and thelike, are utilized to couple and interconnect the conductor clamps, yokeplates, and strain clamps with the insulators and other hardware. Undercertain conditions the contacting faces of the parts develop highresistance paths between the parts, such that the impressed voltagesproduce arcing, corona, and other discharge phenomena. Such dischargephenomena are apt to produce interference with communication, dataprocessing, and related forms of sensitive equipment. Various deviceshave been proposed to insure continuous electrical contact between theinterconnected parts or to provide shunt connectors of low electricalresistance between the parts.

According to the present invention, there is provided a spring clipwhich is adapted for use as a shunt connector between clevis-linkmechanical connectors. The clip is of a particular design which insureselectrical contact between the parts, is adapted for insertion inexisting hardware assemblies, will not be lost due to excessive wearbetween the parts, and is adapted for low cost manufacture.

The invention, together with further objects, features, and advantagesthereof, will be understood by reference to the following detailedspecification and claims, taken in connection with the appended drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of two suspension insulators embodying theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the clevis-link connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section view, taken in the direction 3-3 in FIG. 2and particularly illustrating the spring clip of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the spring clip of the invention,taken in the direction 4-4 in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there is shown line conductorapparatus comprising two suspension insulators and 11. The insulators 10and 11 are connected together by a clevis-link connector 12 including aclevis 13 on the insulator 11, a link 14 on the insulator 10, and a pin15 extending through the clevis and link.

As shown in FIG. 3, the body of the clip 22 comprises two elongatelaterally opposed parts 23 and 24; two arcuate re-entrant parts 25 and26 at one extremity of the parts 23 and 24; a reverse arcuate yoke part27 connecting the re-entrant parts 25 and 26 and engaging the shank ofthe pin 15; two arcuate re-entrant parts 28 and 29 at the remainingextremity of the parts 23 and 24; and two interiorly convergent parts 30and 31 extending from the "ice re-entrant parts 28 and 29 along theinterior of the parts 23 and 24, and extending about and gripping thepin 15.

The exterior parts 23 and 24 are interiorly convergent, as shown, toincrease the grip upon the pin 15 in relation to the size of the clipand the cross section of the wire.

As shown, particularly in FIG. 4, the parts 30 and 31 diverge in theaxial direction of the pin 15 in the normal condition of the clip priorto installation in the connector. Upon installation, the parts 30 and 31are elastically de formed into substantially planar relation with theremain ing parts of the clip, perpendicular to the axis of the pin 15,and the elastic forces exerted between the parts 30 and 31 and theadjacent portions of the link 14 and the clevis arm 17 insureelectroconductive contact of the parts of the clip with the link andclevis arm. Because of continuous contact between the parts andcontinual working of the parts under normal movement of the suspensionapparatus, the clip prevents formation of oxide surface films at ,theadjacent portions of the clip and the apparatus parts, or will breakthrough an existant surface film. The extremities of the wire body mayadvantageously engage the body parts of the link and the clevis armalong or at the edges formed by the openings 20 and 21 forelectroconductive contact with the shank of the pin 15.

The clip 22 is formed from round wire stock on a multiple slide formingmachine. The wire is of a diameter suitable to the dimensions of theapparatus parts; and the size of the wire, spacing between the clipparts 30 and 31, and between the apparatus parts 14 and 17 may bedetermined by materials, presence or absence of atmosphericcontaminants, and the like. The clip may be made of stainless steel, andthe formed clip is spring tempered to provide the necessary elasticproperties. It is to be understood that arrangements in which the gapbetween the apparatus parts is considerably greater than the diameter ofthe wire are useful and within the contemplation of the invention.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended torestrict the scope of the invention and that various rearrangements ofthe parts and modifications of the design may be resorted to. Thefollowing claims are directed to combinations of elements which embodythe invention or inventions of this application.

We claim:

1. In a clevis-link connector comprising spaced clevis arms, a linkreceived between the two arms, transversely aligned openings in the saidarms and link, and a pin extending through the arms and link in theopenings thereof, that improvement which comprises an electricallyconductive spring clip received between the link and a clevis arm andcomprising a formed wire part extending exteriorly about the pin andre-entrantl-y inward from laterally opposed portions thereof, andinteriorly convergent portions at opposed extremities of the wire partextending about and gripping the pin, the said clip having two partsthereof elastically deformed from normally divergent relation in thelongitudinal direction of the pin in electroconductive engagement withthe link and clevis arm.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which opposed extremities ofthe wire part are deformed into substantially planar relation with theremainder of the part.

3. An electrical connector clip comprising a unitary wire bod-y formedin two parts laterally symmetric about a line axis perpendicular to theplane of the body and comprising two elongate laterally opposed exteriorparts, a yoke part joining the said two exterior parts at one extremityof the body, and arcuately re-entrant parts at the remaining extremityof the body, and two interiorly convergent parts extending from there-entrant parts along the interior of the exterior parts, the saidinteriorly convergent parts being normally divergent from the plane ofthe body in opposite directions therefrom for elastic deformationthereof generally to the plane of the body.

4. An electrical connector clip in accordance with claim 3, in which theyoke part joining the exterior parts extends arcuately inward toadjacent the interiorly convergent parts for positioning the clip.

5. In a clevis-link connector comprising spaced clevis arms, a linkreceived between the two arms, transversely, aligned openings in thesaid arms and link, and a pin extending through the arms and link in theopenings thereof, that improvement which comprises an electricallyconductive spring clip received between the link and a clevis arm andcomprising a unitary wire body extending exteriorly about the pin in twoelongate laterally opposed exterior parts, a yoke part joining the saidtwo exterior parts at one extremity thereof and arcuately re-entrantparts at the remaining extremity of the exterior parts, and a pluralityof parts extending inward between the two exterior parts for engagingthe pin and positioning the clip, the said parts being normallydivergent in the longitudinal direction of the pin for elasticdeformation thereof generally to the plane of the body and electro-References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,481,203 1/1924Holmes 24218 FOREIGN PATENTS 224,860 8/1910 Germany. 398,635 7/ 1924Germany.

5,643 1909 Great Britain.

20 LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Examiner.

3. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR CLIP COMPRISING A UNITARY WIRE BODY FORMED INTWO PARTS LATERALLY SYMMETRIC ABOUT A LINE AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THEPLANE OF THE BODY AND COMPRISING TWO ELONGATE LATERALLY OPPOSED EXTERIORPARTS, A YOKE PART JOINING THE SAID TWO EXTERIOR PARTS AT ONE EXTREMITYOF THE BODY, AND ARCUATELY RE-ENTRANT PARTS AT THE REMAINING EXTREMITYOF THE BODY, AND TWO INTERIORLY CONVERGENT PARTS EXTENDING FROM THERE-ENTRANT PARTS ALONG THE INTERIOR OF THE EXTERIOR PARTS, THE SAIDINTERIORLY CONVERGENT PARTS BEING NORMALLY DIVERGENT FROM THE PLANE OFTHE BODY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THEREFROM FOR ELASTIC DEFORMATIONTHEREOF GENERALLY TO THE PLANE OF THE BODY.